CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH

HOW TO USE THE “ROMAN ROAD TO SALVATION”

 

Use this guide to mark the New Testament you want to use to share the Gospel.  Write the questions in the front and the prayer in the back.  Then chain the scriptures using “Go to…” and circle or underline the main words we want to explain.

The two hardest parts of sharing the Gospel (once you have determined that you are actually going to try to do so) is getting into the Gospel and getting out of it.  Here is how to do both and everything in between, in a natural, comfortable, conversational way.  Here goes…..

You’ll notice that all though out the process of sharing the Gospel we will be asking questions.  The questions are very important and the first three are the only parts of the process that you will need to memorize, as close to word for word as you possibly can.  (It is three sentences….you can do it!)

Let’s suppose you are just talking with someone about everyday life stuff and you sense (that is the Holy Spirit at work!!!) that you should try to share the Gospel with this person.  Here is the golden question that will help you bridge from every day, “Hasn’t it been hot lately?” type conversation to the Gospel.

Say:  “Can I ask you a question?”  (They will be curious, so they will say something like, “Sure!”)  Then ask:  (Question #1) “WHERE DO YOU ATTEND CHURCH, WHEN YOU ATTEND?”  That’s eight words!  Remember that the questions are like tools to a carpenter.  Memorize these eight words.  Do not leave out the, “When you attend?”  Phrasing the question this way will do three things:  First, it will bridge the conversation from the secular realm to the spiritual realm.  Second, it gives you some information about the person that will help you understand their spiritual background.  Third, you accomplished this without coming across as “pushy” (which is very, very important!).

Now it really does not matter what their answer is and you do not want to get into a discussion about it.  You can just respond by saying something totally “neutral” like, “That’s interesting.”    All you are doing at this point is guiding the conversation, just like our Lord Jesus did when He said to the woman at the well, “Give me a drink.” (John 4) 

Then you ask permission to ask them another question, as in, “May I ask you another question?”  And again, curiosity will prevail and they will say, “Sure”.  And you will ask the “Key Question:  (Question #2) “IN YOUR PERSONAL OPINION, WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND IT TAKES FOR A PERSON TO GET TO HEAVEN AND HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?”  How the person responds to this key question will give you a pretty good idea about whether you are talking to a born again believer or a person who needs to be saved, aka, a spiritual zombie (those who are spiritually, the walking dead……see Genesis 2:17-18 and Ephesians 2:1).

They will give you one of four responses.  (The key question and the 4 possible responses come straight out of the original “Faith Sunday School Evangelism Strategy” material produced by Lifeway.)  The four responses are as follows:

1.  Faith

2.  Works

3.  Unclear

4.  No Opinion

If you get anything other than a clear “FAITH” answer to the key question you will ask this question:  (Question #3) “CAN I TAKE A FEW MOMENTS AND SHARE WITH YOU HOW THE BIBLE ANSWERS THAT QUESTION?”

If they say, “Yes, go ahead”, then say, I   It always helps to see with you own eyes, the actual Word of God, right here in the Bible.  I have marked some verses in the Book of Romans that will make plain and clear how the Bible answers that all important question.

Now let’s turn to ROMANS 6:23…..and I want you to notice two words and a phrase.

“WAGES”…..Ask, “What are wages?”  Talk about the fact that wages are earned and deserved.  The Bible is saying here that “death” is what we earn and what we deserve because of our sin. 

“GIFT” …….Ask, “What is a gift?”  Talk about the fact that eternal life is a gift God gives some people.  That as a gift eternal life cannot be earned or deserved in any way.

Now be sure to notice this phrase, “IN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD”.  That is where eternal life is found and it is not found anywhere else in the entire universe.  (ILLUSTRATION)  Let’s let this New Testament represent our Lord Jesus Christ for a moment.  And let’s let this phone I have right here (or whatever you have close at hand that will fit inside the New Testament you are holding).  (Put the phone inside the New Testament while you are saying…) Now God’s Word is saying to us that eternal life and forgiveness of sin is “IN” our Lord Jesus Christ.  (You can extend your phone in the New Testament toward the person while you are saying…)  When you have Jesus you have eternal life because eternal life is in HIM and in Him alone. 

Now let’s turn to ROMANS 3:23 which reveals man’s problem.  Notice the words “all sin” and “fall short”

“ALL SIN”…..Ask, “What do you think sin is?”  Then ask, “You notice the word “all”, who does that include.

“FALL SHORT”….Say something like:  “The ‘Glory of God’ can be understood simply as ‘God’s perfection’ and God’s perfection was seen on this earth in the life of His Son, our Lord Jesus.  We fall short of the Jesus Christ who is the only perfect person to every live.  Here is the fact:  plain and simple, we fall short of the perfection of Jesus Christ.  You are a good person no doubt and I think I am a good person.  But the Bible says we are not comparing ourselves to each other, no, we are compared with Jesus Christ and you know what?   We fall short. How many of us?  All of us!  We have all sinned and you’ll remember that the wages of sin is what?  (Death!)  This is the bad news about the human race, including us right here and right now.  But really, really good news is coming next.

Now let’s turn to ROMANS 5:8 and see what the Bible tells us about God’s Solution.  Now noticed the words, “love” and “Christ died for us”.

“LOVE”….Ask, “Whose love is this?”  And then ask, “How do we know that God loves us?”  (He demonstrated His love for us.)  Then ask, “What did God do to demonstrate His love for us?  (Christ died for us)

“CHRIST DIED FOR US”….One really, really big question here:  “Who does ‘us’ include?  (Everybody!)  So then, this ‘us’ includes you?  So then, we can say, “Christ died for YOU!  Right?”

Now let’s turn to  ROMANS 10: 9-10 and see how God’s Word describes God’s Promise.  

Three big words here:  “declare” and “believe” and “saved”.

“DECLARE”….When we declare something, we speak it in a serious and thoughtful and emphatic manner.  It is not just “saying words”.  For instance, if I say to you, “the (blank) of Independence” and say, “OK, what is the blank?”  And you say?  (Declaration)  Were our forefathers just saying words in the Declaration of Independence?  (of course not) And likewise, when we declare that “Jesus is Lord” we are not just saying words, we are declaring that Jesus is Lord over all creation and He is Lord over our lives.

“BELIEVE”….Notice that we are to believe where?  (in our hearts)  (ILLUSTRATION) Listen, many people believe in Jesus like they believe in Abraham Lincoln.  A historical figure, who was a good man who did good things are our lives are better today because of who he was and the things he did.  Many people believe in Jesus in just that way.  That is just “believing” as a matter of information.  That is believing in your head as opposed to believing in your heart.  To believe in Jesus in your heart is to trust Him with everything in your life.  Past, present, and future.  Physical, spiritual, relational….everything.   And you notice that we are to believe that “God raised Him from the dead”.  And Christ resurrection from the dead is the final and forever, earthly proof, that He is exactly who He claimed to be.  The only begotten Son of God, and the only Savior sent from Heaven, and the Sovereign over all creation.

“SAVED”….And that is God’s promise that we will be saved.  If we will declare with our mouths that Jesus is Lord over our lives and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.

Now, let’s go back where we started in ROMANS 6:23 and consider the choice God puts before us.

There are two words here that grab our attention:

“DEATH” and “LIFE”

Wow!  That is the choice God gives us.  He lets us choose.  Now remember that “eternal life” is the gift of God.  God will give you life….eternal life….but you and you alone must choose for yourself.  There are only two options when someone offers you a gift, what are those two options?  (Accept the gift or reject the gift). You can choose life, eternal life, right now and receive the gift of God.  

(Now you will invite the person to receive Christ by turning to the inside back cover.)  

Say something like this.  “You may be wondering how to go about choosing life by receiving the gift of salvation God offers you in His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.  ROMANS 10:13 tells us how.  It says, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Well, that is what you do.  You call on the Lord and ask Him to save you.  I have a sample prayer here that I want to read through with you.  You tell me if that says, what you want to say to God.  If so, we will then read though it together and you will be choosing Jesus, and the eternal life and salvation that He offers, by doing so.  

(Read through the prayer slowly.  Then ask the person, “Is that what you want to say to God?”)

If they respond, “yes”, then ask them if they would be willing to say their own prayer asking Jesus to save them before you read through the prayer with them.  Remember reading something won’t save them.  Have them pray out loud as they follow you through the ”sinners prayer for salvation”.

Once they have prayed to receive Christ, exchange contact information.  Then show them where John’s Gospel is found and tell them to read a chapter a day or more to get started, to pray every day, to meet you at church (or better yet…in small group Bible study and worship) on Sunday.  Then stay in contact (if possible) with them and encourage them every step of the way.  

THE PRAYER:

“Dear God, I have sinned and I am a sinner.  I am asking you, Lord Jesus, to save me right now.  Thank you for coming into this world and dying on the Cross to pay for my sins.  Please forgive me of all my sins and come into my heart and change my life from the inside out.  From this day forward, I want you to be the Lord of my life.  Please give me a home in heaven when I die and a life that is full of joy and meaning until that day comes.  This I pray in Jesus Name.  Amen!